We’ve been thinking about poet Meena Alexander’s incredible address to the Yale Political Union, in which she refers to Shelley’s 1821 essay, A Defence of Poetry. The English poet’s work famously stated, “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” Alexander concludes: “The poem is an invention that exists in spite of history… In a time of violence, the task of poetry is in some way to reconcile us to our world and to allow us a measure of tenderness and grace with which to exist… Poetry’s task is to reconcile us to the world — not to accept it at face value or to assent to things that are wrong, but to reconcile one in a larger sense, to return us in love, the province of the imagination, to the scope of our mortal lives.” Other poets have attempted to interpret “what is deeply felt and is…

For those who attend the Sun Poet’s Society Open-Mic Poetry Readings on a regular basis sometimes here me go on about how happy these Tuesday readings make me. But this is so true, especially on nights like tonight. In the 18 years I have been hosting this poetry reading, I have had the honor of enjoying some of the best poetry from so many walks of life. To say my cup runneth over is an understatement. I feel exquisitely aware of how precious moments are especially at these gatherings. The Sun Poets and poetry in general are my religion, my spirituality. And every week, I come to worship the human condition through poetry. And I affirm, as long as I can draw breath, the Sun Poet’s Society will live and grow and thrive. My cup doesn’t just runneth over, it’s an ocean. I am a lucky poet.

If you haven’t had a chance to go to a poetry reading, I encourage you vehemently, at least give it a try. Poets do inspire each other and sometimes others as well. And consistently, I’ve witnessed others become inspired by the spoken work at the Sun Poet’s readings. It also helps to have a stalwart supporter like Barnes & Noble (321 N.W. Loop 410, Suite 104, San Antonio, Texas).

And if the impossible does occur and you do attend a poetry reading, you might just come away with a deeper sense of what it means to be

I am excited and a little nervous with this new endeavor. I hope to create something here that helps and informs. I will be posting both old and new poetry, photos and poetry news. I have been writing poetry and such for well over 30 years. I have had 2 books of poetry published, Lucid Affairs (Sun Arts Press) and Exploits of a Sun Poet (Pecan Grove Press). I also am founder and host of San Antonio’s longest running open-mic poetry reading, the Sun Poet’s Society. So, with eyes wide open, heart braced, and mind focused, I jump with both feet into the brink!